It’s hard to recall a more stunning moment in recent WWE history than Saturday night at Survivor Series, when CM Punk made his shocking return after nearly 10 years away from the company in the ultimate “never say never” moment.
Punk returned as the babyfaces — Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton and Jey Uso — celebrated their win over The Judgment Day in the main event WarGames match, inciting a crowd noise comparable to some of the most iconic WWE comebacks.
But how did one of them who stood front row feel about the biggest moment of Survivor Series? In the post-show press conference, Rhodes seemed inviting of his former AEW colleague’s presence.
“If he can help out, with where we’re going and what we’re doing, absolutely,” Rhodes said. “Welcome aboard. Welcome aboard.”
Punk was last seen at the end of his tumultuous second stint in AEW nearly three months ago, where he got fired after a backstage incident with Jack Perry at All In. Before that, the Straight Edge Superstar had been out from the fall of 2022 to June of this year as a result of injury and conflicts.
But back in the WWE setting, Rhodes believes they’re getting a hungry version of Punk, and he’s intrigued by it.
“And I have a feeling that the CM Punk that potentially we’re getting is hungry, and that’s the best, that’s the best when someone’s hungry, when somebody wants something, when it’s real.”
Of course, this, which “came together super quick,” wouldn’t have happened without Triple H, Nick Khan and anyone else in WWE upper management. Rhodes thanked them for making the call, and while he hinted at potentially mixed emotions, he knows WWE is a business, and if Punk can help, why not?
“I’ll give kudos and flowers to Triple H and Nick Khan for getting that done. You can ask all the boys and girls ’til they’re blue in the face, ‘Hey, how do you feel?’ You might get up, you might get down, a wide range of emotions, but the first thing, always is business. And again, we’re doing record business. Feels like everybody wants to be here. The more the merrier. If you can help, absolutely, come on board.”
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